The development projects of the RERC on AAC (2025-2030) will develop innovative engineering solutions to address the communication barriers faced by individuals with complex communication needs. These new AAC interventions and technologies will reduce physical, cognitive, and linguistic burdens, and increase participation in education, employment, healthcare, and community living.

D1: Environmental Embedding of Communication Supports: This project will investigate the feasibility of creating a prototype of a communication tool that can be embedded in social zones to support increased communication and social interaction, based on the results of R1: Communication and Social Behavior on the Playground.
Project Leaders: Therrien, Dragut, Raley, Jakobs, Constituent Board

D2: Automation in Programming: The project goals are to: (1) Develop a working high-fidelity AAC prototype that will automate VSD programming for individuals with developmental disabilities who are learning language and their communication partners; (2) Evaluate the prototype and a photo grid-based automated programming technology made available for testing by an industry partner (SKIES Inc.); (3) Iterate on both VSD- and grid-based designs based on findings and feedback collaboratively with constituents including individuals with developmental disabilities who use or would benefit from AAC and their communication partners; and (4) Disseminate evidence-based, user-centered technical and clinical guidelines to the AAC industry and the field.
Project Leaders: Lorah, MacNeil, Raley, Jakobs, Constituent Board

D3: Smarter Literacy Assessment: The project goals are to: (1) Collaborate with teachers, family members and individuals who use AAC to understand current barriers to literacy assessment and instruction; (2) Develop a new technology for assessment of early literacy skills so individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who use limited speech have equitable access to literacy instruction.
Project Leaders: Barton-Hulsey, Vucetic, Jakobs, Schatschneider, Constituent Board

D4: Natural Communication Integration: The project goals are to: (1) Develop technological approaches for integrating dysarthric speech and multimodal natural communication into AAC technology to support individuals with developmental disabilities with and without functional literacy skills and their communication partners; (2) Evaluate the technological approaches developed in collaboration with individuals with developmental disabilities who use AAC and other constituents (e.g., family members, professionals); and (3) Develop freely available technological and clinical guidelines for the approach of integrating natural communication into AAC technology
Project Leaders: Holyfield, Vucetic, Raley, Jakobs, Constituent Board

D5: Responsive Prediction: The goal is to investigate the effects of emerging and novel approaches to responsive prediction that leverages AI on communication, expressive language, and social validity from individuals with developmental disabilities and communication partners to improve the design of prediction in AAC technologies and thereby enhance quality of communication life.
Project Leaders: Holyfield, MacNeil, Raley, Jakobs, Constituent Board